retail - News, Features, and Slideshows

News

• Harvey Norman (ASX:HVN) sales up 0.8% in FY10

  Electronics retailer Harvey Norman (ASX:HVN) has disclosed that its global sales grew 0.8% in FY10, despite a slump in domestic demand during the last quarter

• When Downsizing Goes Too Far

  An online retail business built its most critical systems in-house when resources were plentiful. But today the business has downsized considerably, with the IT budget cut to support only critical systems and only one senior executive and a developer left to manage numerous disjointed systems and servers. Customer service is now declining and IT can't add new functions. When the CEO says, "Fix this ASAP!" what should this lone CIO do?

• NFC sees light at end of the tunnel with transit projects

  Short range communication using NFC (Near Field Communication) circuitry embedded in mobile phones has had a difficult journey to market, but it may soon see light at the end of the tunnel with increasing adoption for city transit projects, according to analysts.

• ThinkSmart extends deal with Dick Smith until 2014

  The computer equipment financing company and the retailer have been partners for 14 years

• David Jones CEO quits and leaves country over scandal

  Mark McInnes will leave David Jones - and the country - after a formal sexual harassment complaint

• Strathfield finance director Emil Dimitrov retires

  But Dimitrov will stay on as a non-executive director

• Sydney hotel puts iPads in restaurant

  Rydges Hotel in North Sydney has rolled out ten iPads in its restaurant for an interactive food ordering system that places orders directly to the kitchen.

• Japanese online stores stop shipping Apple products

  Some of Japan's biggest online electronics retailers have stopped shipping Apple products, apparently at the request of the Cupertino, California-based company.

• Harvey Norman records 9-month sales of $4.64b

  But earnings were impacted by exchange rate fluctuations, and Q3 sales in Australia were flat

• Gonzalez sentenced for multimillion dollar credit card scam

  Hacker mastermind Albert Gonzalez was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court to two concurrent 20-year stints in prison for his role in what prosecutors called the "unparalleled" theft of millions of credit card numbers from major U.S. retailers.

• Digislide reaches retail agreement with Next Byte

  Apple reseller NextByte will market the Digishow Handheld Projector, which is compatible with the iPod and iPhone

• JB Hi-Fi boosts 1H profit 29% to $76m

  The company confirmed it is expecting a NPAT of $117m-$120m for FY10

• Country Road sales grew 12.6% in 1H10

  The company expects single-digit sales growth in the second half

• Microsoft showcases new ERP app for retailers

  Continuing its quest for more ERP (enterprise resource planning) market share, Microsoft on Monday announced a new application aimed at mid-sized speciality retail chains.

• Keep an eye on temps, and other holiday season security tips for retailers

  Temporary workers brought in to help during the busy holiday shopping season can sometimes pose a data security risk for companies.